Manuscript Editing

Written by Lizz

A manuscript sent to publishers or agents is facing some of the stiffest competition in the history of the publishing industry. A manuscript has to be as polished as possible to make it through the harsh process of elimination. Every publisher and agent turns down far more manuscripts than they accept. For that reason, a manuscript that hasn't been through a round of manuscript editing stands little chance of getting through to those who accept manuscripts.

Manuscripts with poor manuscript editing or even none at all will be tossed away by lower-level editors and assistants whose jobs it is to mine the pile of manuscripts for diamonds. Without proper manuscript editing, that's as far as by a work will go. It will never even be seen by anyone in a position to publish it. It will never have a chance to make it in the book market.

Manuscript editing is an involved process that has to take into account the entire book. Rather than a simple proofread, editing a manuscript will likely involve a few rewritten areas to involve the overall flow and continuity of the work. The editor will have to read through the entire work first to get a feel for the message and to see how the story and tone of the work progress. Then, a second read through will show the editor where there are problems that need to be corrected in order to improve the way the story is presented. That type of editing can make the work much more impressive to any agent or publisher.

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